the story of my life...

Too much to do.

Too little time.


(yes, it's a short story)

Lucille

I love surprises.

I mean, L-O-V-E.

And last night, I got a totally fabulous birthday surprise.

I don't have a picture of it yet...but Todd bought me...

A BIKE!

I'm so excited. It's a hybrid road bike/mountain bike, but it has that very cool retro style that makes it seem like it should also have a little wire basket on the front with flowers in it. And it is a gorgeous shade of blue...kind of like the Tiffany blue (very appropriate), but slightly darker in shade and sparkly metallic.

It--is--gorgeous.

I named her Lucille, but I'm calling her Lucy Blue. And I can't wait to go tootin' around East Nashville with her.

As soon as I figure out how.

Ok, so I know how to ride a bike...I just haven't been on one since I was, oh, twelve. And that bike didn't have a lot of gears--and this one has 21 speeds. And, as many of you know, my balance is iffy at best. So, I think I have a bit of practice to do before I take ol' Lucy Blue out on any main roads.

So, if you see me wobbling down the road atop a beautiful set of wheels, just wave...and well, you might also want to get out of the way.

But, I can't wait! :)

welcome to the family...

I finally have a nephew...of the canine variety.

Say hello to Denver, the newest member of my extended family:

Tara, Shawn and the girls adopted him from a rescue this week. He's five, and he has the sweetest face ever.

Now, if they can just get him to stop trying to hump my 2-year old niece, Sienna...

Side note: Rescue dogs are the greatest. If you are looking to add to your family, go to www.petfinder.org

happy feast of martyred saints?

So, I know it's Valentine's Day, and I should probably post a sweet poem or a picture of a heart or a general "I love everyone" message...but there's a problem. I discovered that I have...a cynical side.

*Gasp.*

I know. It's hard to believe...I was surprised myself when it appeared. I mean, I'm a happy person. I like to think the best about people. I'm an optimist in almost all situations. I think I even smile when I'm asleep. These are not usually characteristics that you associate with a cynical person.

But, my cynical side is there. And it often pops up around Valentine's Day. I've never been a big "woohoo" Valentine's Day person. There are some big things I don't understand about this day. For example:

1. Why do we "celebrate" love on a day that was originally a feast to honor martyred saints? How did we move from a memorial dinner to conversation hearts?
2. Why should someone spend $100 on a bouquet of roses on February 14th, when they could get them for $24.99 on February 15th?
3. Why can I not resist Godiva chocolate? (Ok, so that isn't exactly Valentine specific, but hey, it's still a dilemna)

and the biggest one of all:
4. Why can't we just let people know that we love them all 365 days of the year?

These are my issues. So, I tend to just chalk V-Day up as a Hallmark holiday...one of those celebrations that is totally perpetuated by the card companies in order to increase revenue.

So, honey, I love your guts...but the only valentine you will be getting from me today is one that a kindergartner helped me make this morning...and it's mostly a big mess of Elmer's glue and construction paper hearts.

But come on, that's cute any day of the year.

say hello to my little friend...

Meet my new boyfriend, Mr. Heart Monitor. He and I are literally going to be attached at the hip--and the heart-- for the next 30 days. He goes to work with me, he joins me at my Y classes, he sleeps with me (he just doesn't get to go in the shower with me...I mean, there has to be some modesty, right?)

My cardiologist is trying to figure out why I've been having these panic-attack types of heart palpitations recently (which are particularly disturbing when they jolt me from a perfectly good sleep at 2 in the morning). So, he assigned Mr. Heart Monitor to hang out with me for a month and record my inner-workings.

It definitely feels a little awkward walking around with wires hanging out of my sweater...and Mr. Monitor also has a tendency to beep at inopportune times...not to mention his little white flashing light that turns into a beacon whenever I step into a dark room. I also find that I really want to use words like "stat" and "I concur" and "Give me 10 cc's of diet dr. pepper" when I'm wearing him.

But, despite his oddities, it's good to have a little sidekick watching out for me. :)